Mandatory News

Monday, December 29, 2014

Greg Cosell's Look Ahead: The Pittsburgh Steelers' potent offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense is really potent, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is playing a different way. Its working for him.

Roethlisberger has been almost exclusively a pocket passer over the last month or so. And he has been very efficient. You might not see him on the highlights as often because he doesnt make those Roethlisberger plays where he buys time and makes a throw downfield. But I cant recall a time where he has played this well from the pocket for this long. Hes just a big oak tree in the pocket going through progressions.

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A 19-yard throw to Antonio Brown last week against the Kansas City Chiefs is a good example of his patience and command in the pocket. Even with a muddied pocket around him, he stood in for a long time, never left the pocket and delivered the ball effectively. Its not a spectacular play, but its a very good one.

(NFL.com screen shot)

The other tweak the Steelers have made is theyve used more empty sets than any other team in the NFL. There are multiple benefits for Pittsburgh with empty sets. It helps get more talented and explosive receivers on the field; the Steelers are deep there. Also, I know Roethlisberger has to love the empty sets because it defines the defense before the snap. If youre going to blitz you have to show it before the snap, because you cant bring a guy from too far away on a blitz.

We know the talent the Steelers have on offense. LeVeon Bell might be the best back in the NFL, although the Steelers havent run the ball that well the last two weeks (which is a combination of Bell and the offensive line). Antonio Brown is a great receiver, he might be the best route runner in the NFL with outstanding quickness in and out of breaks. And Roethlisberger is playing well from the pocket. The Steelers offense is capable of beating a defense in many ways, because theyre personnel and formation diverse with power run elements and explosive pass elements.

How will the Bengals defend them on Sunday night? One thing they did on Monday night against Peyton Manning and the Broncos was run a lot of dime with six defensive backs. They had run only 32 snaps of dime all season before the Broncos game, then ran 18 snaps of it against Denver, with safety Taylor Mays as the dime defender. That gave Manning a new look he hadnt really seen on film, and the Bengals played well against him. The Bengals also had a lot of late movement just before the snap to try to throw off Manning. Will the Bengals continue to use that dime look against a deep Steelers team? Its hard to say for sure but its something to watch.

Panthers' diverse running game

The Carolina Panthers have gotten back in the NFC South race, and will play for the division title on Sunday at Atlanta, by doing many of the same things that make the Seattle Seahawks successful.

The Seahawks have a lot of multiple options within their run plays, and the Panthers have done that lately too. That makes sense for them because running the ball is what quarterback Cam Newton does best now. Youre not trying to teach him to be a pocket quarterback at this point in the season; youre trying to win football games.

Heres an example of the type of concept Carolina is using. Early in the fourth quarter against Atlanta in Week 11, the Panthers combined a running-back sweep and quarterback power run within the same play. Newton gained 15 yards. Its a really cool concept.

(NFL.com screen shot)

The Panthers need to win to make the playoffs, so expect to see them use a lot of creative options in the running game on Sunday.

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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/greg-cosell-s-look-ahead--the-pittsburgh-steelers--potent-offense-185154163.html

Search expands for AirAsia Flight QZ8501, likely at 'bottom of the sea'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Search will expand to four more areas Tuesday, Indonesia says
NEW: France dispatches two investigators
Indonesian official: "Our early conjecture is that the plane is in the bottom of the sea"
Reports of objects found don't necessarily indicate a sign of the plane, official says

(CNN) -- The search for a missing airliner with 162 people aboard will expand Tuesday, the Indonesian government announced.

Four additional areas will be searched, the national search and rescue agency said.

Seven zones were patrolled Monday, the second day of searching for AirAsia Flight QZ8501.

So far, the search has been fruitless.

"Our early conjecture is that the plane is in the bottom of the sea," said Bambang Sulistyo, the head of the search and rescue agency. That belief is based on the plane's flight track and last known coordinates.

Officials may need help from other countries for an underwater search, he said.

AirAsia flight goes missing

HIDE CAPTION

France dispatched two investigators to Indonesia. They are due to arrive in Jakarta on Monday, France's Foreign Ministry said.

The missing plane is made by Airbus, a French company.

Rescuers say weather was probably a factor in the plane's disappearance.

What role did weather play?

Large waves and clouds hampered the search for the plane Sunday and Monday. But Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters his country will not give up or set a time limit for the operation.

A possible oil slick within the search zone has been discounted as not being from an airplane, Indonesian authorities told CNN. Likewise, reports of a very faint flight recorder "ping" are false, Indonesian local media reported.

There were reports of objects found in the search zone, but given that the area has a great deal of traffic along the water, authorities have said objects found won't automatically indicate a sign of the plane.

Kalla told CNN there were "some reports from Australia" about possible objects found, but it was unclear whether they were from the plane.

Report: Higher altitude request denied

AirAsia says air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at 7:24 a.m. Sunday, Singapore time (6:24 a.m. in Indonesia).

The plane, flying from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, went missing as it flew over the Java Sea between the islands of Belitung and Borneo -- a heavily traveled shipping channel with shallow waters -- Indonesian authorities said.

Before the plane, an Airbus A320-200, lost contact with air traffic controllers, one of the pilots asked to change course and fly at a higher altitude because of bad weather, officials said. Heavy thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time.

Air traffic control approved the pilot's request to turn left but denied permission for the plane to climb to 38,000 feet from 32,000 feet, Djoko Murjatmodjo, an aviation official at the Indonesian Transport Ministry, told the national newspaper Kompas.

The increased altitude request was denied because there was another plane flying at that height, he said.

Djoko suggested that Flight 8501 ascended despite air traffic control denying it permission.

AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said storm clouds caused the pilot to ask for a flight plan change. But he added, "We don't want to speculate whether weather was a factor. We really don't know."

Once the aircraft is found, there will be a proper investigation, Fernandes said.

In addition to Indonesia's teams, several other countries have joined the hunt for the missing plane.

A C-130 plane from Singapore has been participating in the search, and the country's military says it's sending two more ships to the search area. Malaysia's transportation minister said his country has deployed three vessels and three aircraft to assist in the search. And the Royal Australian Air Force said Monday that it was deploying a patrol plane to help.

The U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet said it stands ready to assist the search efforts but so far hasn't been asked to help.

Indonesia has reached out to the United Kingdom, France and the United States for help with sonar technology that may be needed for an underwater search, Sulistyo told reporters Monday.

AirAsia CEO takes to Twitter

Anxious wait for relatives

Several dozen anguished family members of the passengers met with airport and airline officials in a closed-door briefing Monday at the airport.

As they waited for news, some relatives took cell phone pictures of a flight manifest posted on a wall. The black-and-white papers showed every passenger's name and seat number, but not their fate.

Others simply sat and dabbed tears from their eyes.

Oei Endang Sulsilowati and her daughter were looking for information about her brother, his wife and their two children.

"We don't know what to do," Sulsilowati said. "We are just waiting for news."

"Our concern right now is for the relatives and the next of kin," Fernandes said during a news conference in Surabaya.

Some police said authorities were seeking additional materials to help identify passengers, such as photos with close-ups of teeth, DNA, or fingerprints. But police later told CNN they were not immediately seeking these materials.

East Java Police have set up a disaster victims identification area at the Surabaya airport.

Of the people on board the passenger jet, 155 are Indonesian, three are South Korean, one is British, one is French, one is Malaysian and one is Singaporean, the airline said.

Eighteen children, including one infant, are among the passengers, the carrier said. Seven of the people on board are crew members.

Families of AirAsia flight passengers given support through the 'nightmare'

The MH370 mystery

AirAsia, a successful budget airline group headquartered in Malaysia, had a clean safety record until the disappearance of Flight 8501. The missing plane is operated by the company's Indonesian affiliate.

The loss of contact with the plane comes nearly 10 months after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which dropped off radar over Southeast Asia on March 8 with 239 people on board.

AirAsia and MH370 cases are very different

Searchers have yet to find any remains of Flight 370, which officials believe went down in the southern Indian Ocean after mysteriously flying thousands of kilometers away from its planned route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

But some aviation experts don't think the search for Flight 8501 will be as challenging as the hunt for MH370.

"We are not talking about the deep Indian Ocean here," CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest said. "We are talking about congested airspace around Southeast Asia. There will be much better radar coverage. There's certainly better air traffic control coverage."

CNN's Susanna Capelouto, Andrew Stevens and Paula Hancocks contributed to this report. Azieza Uhnavy also contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/29/world/asia/airasia-missing-plane/

Nebraska Football: Huskers' Loss to USC a Fitting End to Bo Pelini Era

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

When time expired at the Holiday Bowl, it was official. The Bo Pelini era was over at Nebraska. It was a fitting ending, too.

That's not to say that the Huskers didn't put up a fight. They did. It just wasn't enough.And isn't that what feels the most familiar about Pelini's time at Nebraska?

During his tenure, Pelini never had less than four losses with the Huskers. On the other hand, he also never had less than nine wins. The struggle was that the former Nebraska head coach just couldn't get over the hump.

Against USC, Nebraska faced the same issue. That's why the 45-42 loss at the hands of USC stings so much. The Huskers could have won. The opportunities were there. It just didn't pan out.

You can blame some of it on the play calls. There were two opportunities where Nebraska left two field goals on the field in favor of going for it on fourth down. Neither time resulted in what the Huskers wanted.

It could also be blamed on the mentality of the Nebraska team. After a rocky month, it was clear there was a lot of emotions on the field. At one point, 93.7 The Ticket's John Gaskins noted that Nebraska coaches were fighting on the sidelines while interim head coach Barney Cotton broke them up.

However, it seems like Pelini's memory is what put the fight in the Nebraska players. From an empty bus seat in his honor, to his name placed on helmet decals and towels, Pelini was everywhere with the Huskers. In this final game before the new coaching staff takes over, it felt like Pelini's staff could finally pull it off.

Against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Minnesota, Nebraska was unable to overcome the hump in 2014. The Huskers got close against Michigan State and Minnesota, rallying late to keep the hope alive. It just wasn't enough in either game.

That's always been the challenge for Nebraska under Pelini. Defeating ranked opponents and winning in the national spotlight have plagued the Huskers and it became clear that Pelini wasn't sure how to fix the problem.

Nebraska can still be proud of the performance against the Trojans, though. The Huskers finished with 525 total offensive yards and some strong showings from the Blackshirts.

Senior I-back AmeerAbdullah increased his career rushing total to 4,588 yards, which was only 192 yards shy of Mike Roziers Nebraska record of 4,780 career rushing yards. Freshman wide receiverDeMornay Pierson-El had a career-high eight receptions, which also set aNebraska bowl record and freshman safety Kieron Williams blocked two USC punts in the game. And those are just to name a few of those who made big plays for Nebraska.

Yet, it still wasn't enough and it feels oddly similar. Even the one second that was added back on the clock (by Big 12 referees) at the end felt familiar to a certain moment in Big 12 history. It was enough to even get former Texas head coach Mack Brown talking.

After the game, Cotton answered a question about the final attempt to go for it on fourth down.

"I was very proud of them. ... We just came up a little short at the end," he said.

Yet, that comment about one play felt like it could sum up much more. After all, Pelini came up short many times during his tenure, especially in big games. He was 9-17 against ranked opponents for the Huskers (he was 9-14 to start the season, per The Wall Street Journal),which left many fans hoping for more.

The Holiday Bowl was the end of one era for Nebraska, but it's also the beginning of another. Will things be different?

Only time, and a fair chance to Mike Riley, will tell.

All quotes obtained via the Huskers post-game press conference, unless otherwise noted.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2312109-nebraska-football-huskers-loss-to-usc-a-fitting-end-to-bo-pelini-era

Sunday, December 28, 2014

AirAsia Flight From Indonesia To Singapore Loses Contact With Air Traffic Control

An AirAsia flight traveling from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore with 162 people on board lost contact with air traffic control early Sunday morning, the airline confirmed. Indonesia quickly launched a search to locate the missing plane, but by Sunday night, most search and rescue operations were halted for the day, the plane still unaccounted for.

Flight QZ 8501 -- an Airbus 320-200 -- lost communication with Indonesia's Surabaya Juanda International Airport at 7:24 Singapore time on Sunday morning, the airline said. The plane "was requesting deviation due to enroute weather before communication with the aircraft was lost," AirAsia said in a statement.

"The weather was not good -- it was bad -- at the estimated location the plane lost contact," Indonesian Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustafa said.

A map showing the intended flight path of the AirAsia plane. (Credit: Google)

Mustafa said the plane lost contact somewhere between Kalimantan on Borneo island and Belitung island, about 42 minutes after the jet took off.

AirAsia Indonesia CEO Sunu Widyatmoko said that the airline is "deeply shocked and saddened" by the disappearance.

We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident," he said in a Facebook post. "We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident. In the meantime, our main priority is keeping the families of our passengers and colleagues informed on the latest developments.

The ministry's air transportation director Joko Muryo Atmodjo said no distress signal had been sent, adding, "Therefore we cannot assume anything yet."

"We are coordinating with [the] rescue team and looking for its position. We believe it is somewhere between Tanjung Pandan, a town on Belitung island, and Kalimantan," Atmodjo said .

AirAsia confirmed this plane traveling from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore lost contact with air traffic control early Sunday morning. The jet is photographed above at Singapore Changi Airport in 2010. (Credit: Bruno Geiger, Flickr)

The plane took off at 5:20 a.m. local time in Surabaya and was scheduled to land at 8:30 a.m. in Singapore, according to AFP.

An official from Indonesia's national search and rescue agency points to the position where AirAsia flight QZ8501 went missing. (Credit: Getty)

155 passengers, two pilots and five crew members were on board the flight, AirAsia said in a statement. The passengers and crew included 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one French citizen and one British. The captain was Indonesian, the co-captain French. 16 children and one infant were among the passengers, AirAsia said.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, one woman present at a crisis center at the Changi Airport had seven family members on the flight, including her mother and brother.

Relatives of the passengers of AirAsia flight QZ8501 comfort each other at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. (Credit: AP

Malaysia, Singapore and Australia offered to assist the search for the plane. AirAsia said it was "cooperating fully" with the efforts, and set up a call center for relatives of those aboard the plane.

AirAsia has established an Emergency Call Centre that is available for family or friends of those who may have been on board the aircraft. The number is: +622129850801.

A relative of AirAsia flight QZ8501 passengers weeps as she waits for the latest news on the missing jetliner at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia on December 28, 2014. (Credit: AP

Indonesia's Transport Ministry said six ships and two helicopters were deployed to search for the missing flight. Malaysia contributed three navy ships and three aircraft to help in the search. Singapore sent a C130 aircraft, officials said. Despite the coalition of countries looking for Flight QZ 8501, Sunday night fell with the plane still missing, prompting Indonesia to call off the search for the day. By 8:30 p.m. local time, all air search efforts were halted, though several boats continued the hunt. The full search was expected to resume around 6 a.m.

The U.S. also offered support for the search. Spokespersons for the National Transportation Safety Board and the State Department said that the agencies are monitoring the situation and "ready to assist" the rescue team if needed.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore released a statement early Sunday saying "a waiting area, and all necessary facilities and support have been set up for relatives and friends of the affected passengers" at Changi Airport. By Sunday evening, dozens of those connected to the passengers had registered at the waiting area. Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia, announced he would go to Surabaya where most of the passengers were from. "This is my worst nightmare," he wrote on Twitter.

Family members of passengers of missing Malaysian air carrier AirAsia flight QZ8501 gather at Juanda international airport in Surabaya in East Java on December 28, 2014. (Credit: AP)

The A320 is Airbuss best-selling jet family, with more than 6,000 planes in operation. In a statement, Airbus said that the plane that went missing came off the production line in 2008, and had conducted approximately 13,600 flights, for a total of about 23,000 flight hours. Airbus announced it would provide its full assistance to the investigation, and said the "thoughts of the Airbus management and staff are with all those affected by Flight QZ 8501."

As news of the missing flight unfolded, AirAsia changed the color of the logos on their social media channels from red to grey. AirAsia, which is headquartered in Malaysia, is one of the fastest growing low-cost carriers in Asia. It has never lost a plane before, according to the Associated Press.

The plane that lost contact with air traffic control is an Airbus A320-200, photographed above at Singapore Changi Airport in 2011. (Credit: Aero Icarus, Flickr)

The disappearance of the AirAsia flight is the third air incident of 2014 that involves Malaysia, the Associated Press notes. Malaysia's national carrier, Malaysia Airlines, suffered two disasters in 2014. In March, the airline lost contact with flight MH370 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew aboard. It remains missing. In July, flight MH17 was downed over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people. Following the news of Flight 8501's disappearance, Malaysia Airlines offered its support on Twitter.

According to a White House pool report, U.S. President Barack Obama was briefed on the missing flight, and "White House officials will continue to monitor the situation." Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Twitter that he was "saddened" to hear about the missing plane. "My thoughts are with the passengers and their families," he said. Malaysia's Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Razak said his country "stands ready to help."

"Our hearts and hopes are with the passengers and families of AirAsia QZ8501," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, not from Jakarta.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/27/missing-airasia-flight_n_6385946.html

'Saved by the Bell' star Dustin Diamond charged in stabbing

ByStaffThe Associated Press

ABOVE: Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond makes first court appearance.

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. Dustin Diamond, who played Screech on the 1990s TV show Saved by the Bell, has been charged with stabbing a man at a Wisconsin bar.

Diamond was charged Friday with felony second-degree recklessly endangering safety, disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon.

He appeared Friday afternoon in Ozaukee County court, where bail was set at $10,000.

Port Washington police say they responded at 11:15 p.m. Thursday to a report of a stabbing at a bar.

The criminal complaint says Diamond, who lives in Port Washington, told police he accidentally stabbed a man while defending his fiancee from two men harassing her. The victim was not seriously injured.

His fiancee also faces a disorderly conduct charge.

Diamonds agent declined comment Friday. No attorney was listed in court records.

The Associated Press, 2014

Source: http://globalnews.ca/news/1744760/saved-by-the-bell-star-dustin-diamond-charged-in-stabbing-at-bar/

WATCH: 'Divergent' fans get sneak peek of 'Insurgent' sequel

LOS ANGELES The first film adaptation of Veronica Roths Divergent novels was one of the most popular new Hollywood franchises of 2014, grossing more than $150 million at the domestic box office.

Now, fans can close out the year with a look at the much-anticipated sequel, Insurgent, which is due out March 2015.

Shailene Woodley reprises the role of Tris, a teen living in a dystopian future where people are divided into categories based on character attributes. Tris and her fellow divergents, who dont fit into any of the categories, continue their struggle to survive as Jeanine Matthews (played by Kate Winslet) hunts them down.

A trailer released this week shows a greater emphasis on action scenes this go-around. Fans of the trilogy might also notice that Tris has a pixie cut in this installment, even though the characters hair is not that short in the book.

Woodley says director Robert Schwentke granted her request to keep her naturally short hair which she cut for her role in another young adult novel adaptation, The Fault in Our Stars instead of wearing a wig.

I think wigs always look wiggy, especially in an action movie, Woodley told Buzzfeed.

Source: http://kdvr.com/2014/12/13/watch-divergent-fans-get-sneak-peek-of-insurgent-sequel/

'American Sniper' breaks Christmas record in limited release

Dave McNary Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2014, 11:55 AM

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - "American Sniper" and "Selma" -- the last awards contenders to open this year -- have launched impressively in their Christmas Day debuts.

Warner Bros.' "Sniper," starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, was particularly stellar with $240,212 at four venues -- breaking the all-time record for a limited release under 10 screens on Christmas Day.

It played in Dallas, Los Angeles and New York.

Clint Eastwood directed the R-rated "American Sniper" from a script by Jason Hall, based on Chris Kyle's autobiography about his tour of duty in Iraq and his struggles as a father and husband.

Warner Bros. will expand "American Sniper" into a nationwide release on Jan. 16 -- the day after Oscar nominations are announced.

Paramount's "Selma" also scored solidly with $322,000 at 19 locations in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. That's nearly $17,000 per venue.

The $20 million film chronicles the 1965 civil rights campaign and has been nominated for four Golden Globes. It will expand into a nationwide release on Jan. 9.

Directed by Ava DuVernay, "Selma" stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. and Tom Wilkinson as President Johnson. Also starring are Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey.

Producers are Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Winfrey.

Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/movies/American-Sniper-breaks-Christmas-record-in-limited-release.html